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Longshots (The)
R1 - America - Genius Products Review written by and copyright: Rob Fields (25th November 2008). |
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The Film
 When I got this DVD and saw the title of it, I remembered some time ago (I don’t know how long exactly) I had gone to the movies and had seen the theatrical trailer for “The Longshots”. It didn’t really interest me. For one thing, I took one look at Ice Cube and thought, “Okay, this’ll probably one of those comedies, like the “Friday” movies" (1995, 2000, 2002). Then I had to stop and remember that he had appeared in a John Carpenter movie that I really liked called “Ghosts of Mars” (2001). So at least he made his mark in a horror movie, my genre. But, since I’m a reviewer, that means I have to spread my wings into ALL genres. So I had to give Ice Cube another shot. “The Longshots” is about a rag-tag group of misfit kids were all the tiny town of Minden had for a Pop Warner football team. That is, until Curtis Plummer (Ice Cube) came along. With a secret weapon in tow – his pigtail wearing niece Jasmine (Keke Palmer) who is a natural quarterback – he will take the team from a group of clumsy goofballs to a football powerhouse. Inspired by a true story “The Longshots” is entertaining, heartfelt and funny. One of the things I enjoyed about the film is that Ice Cube has a tendency to surprise. It appears that he not only has talent as a rap artist, he can also act. He definitely doesn’t play the same role in every movie, unless you count the sequels to the other films he’s done. In this case, he’s playing a man, Curtis Plummer, who starts out not caring too much about anything, including being with his own niece. As time goes on, he and Jasmine start to bond. It’s this transition from aspect of the character to the next that shows Ice Cube is definitely a man of many talents. When it comes to the movie itself, it doesn’t fail to keep viewer's interest. The story flows from the start of the film and continues to keep the flow going. And that’s a key thing when it comes to delivering a story: keeping interest up. When the story starts to take a turn for the worst, then you lose your audience. I could go on and on about each and every thing I enjoyed about this movie, but I guess I can sum it up by saying that an hour-and-a-half definitely went by fast. I won’t tell you how it ends, but I don’t think any of you reading this review will be disappointed. The downsides? Okay, I guess I didn’t like the way Jasmine was treated during the opening act of the film. Still, that’s part of the story. That’s her own personal conflict. I tried to look for an uninteresting point in the story. Note that this film is based on a true story. In this case, Jasmine has the odds stacked against her. Not only does she have snotty cheerleaders to contend with, but also guys who want to make sure she knows her place. Unfortunately, the sexual barrier is still prevalent in many areas. Probably the whole world, the way I see it. I’m glad that we can see the story of ONE female who stood out. My final word: Own it!!
Video
The film is presented in anamorphic widescreen format (2.35:1 ratio). Like most of the DVD's from Genius Products and their affiliates, the picture aims to impress. The picture looks sharp. The images are very crisp with no defects or pixels. In all, there was nothing to distract me, with the exception of the story itself. It can be annoying when you see blemishes while you’re into a good story. Not the case here.
Audio
The film features an English Dolby Digital 5.1 surround soundtrack. There are optional English (for the hearing impaired) and Spanish subtitles available (for the film only). The soundtrack seems to make use of the front speakers more than the rear. Nonetheless, you can still hear the movie without much difficulty. The music and the voices seem to be evenly balanced.
Extras
Genius has included deleted scenes, featurettes, the film’s theatrical trailer and some bonus trailers that play before the Main Menu. Read further for insight into these. There are optional English subtitles available for everything except for the opening preview trailers. There are 13 deleted scenes (totaling 19 minutes and 23 seconds) spanning over two pages. They can be played individually or all together with the ‘Play All’ option on the first page. Here they are: - "Curtis rejects Winston’s offer" (2:10) – Winston knows that Curtis isn’t making much money, so he offers him a job. Curtis turns him down because of the nature of it. - "Claire in diner with co-workers" (1:08) – Clair and co-workers talk about whether Clair should have trusted Curtis with taking care of Jasmine. - "Jasmine makes her own dinner" (0:51) – Jasmine complains about the TV dinner Curtis prepared for her. So she improvises. - "Team embarrassed by Jasmine" (0:43) – The team refuses to change when they see Jasmine in their locker room. Boys and girls have to stay separate on SOME things, right? - "Coach’s office" (1:58) – There’s a meeting in the coach’s office. There’s some dissension over who will be the starting quarterback. - "Reverend sees potential in Curtis" (1:14) – The reverend finds Curtis in the stands and gives him an inspirational talk. - "Curtis is leaving" (1:27) – Curtis is looking over memorabilia of his glory days. Then it cuts to practice and Jasmine is asked by Cyrus where her uncle is. - "Media coverage" (0:41) – FOX news is there covering a practice, but are driven off by the assistant coach and one of the townsfolk. - "Curtis puts Winston in his place" (2:22) – Winston makes fun of the community work. Then Winston tells him off. - "Jasmine and Claire" (0:53) – Mother and daughter talk about where Jasmine gets her best qualities. Claire is surprised by the answer. - "Jasmine is injured" (3:34) – Jasmine is sacked and Curtis runs to her aid. There is mixed reactions from the crowd. Jasmine sits out for a play and then she is cleared to return. - "Curtis gives Jasmine MVP medals" (1:44) – The team checks out the field prior to playing in the Super Bowl. Curtis takes Jasmine up to the stands and gives her his MVP medal. - "Girls want to try out for Browns" (0:37) – Tryouts for the following year. Many girls are looking to make their marks. The first of four featurettes is “Jasmine Plummer: The Real Longshot” and runs 6 minutes and 45 seconds. Here, you will actually see the real Jasmine Plummer talking. You will also hear from director Fred Durst and star Ice Cube, as well as other members of the cast. You will hear in Jasmine’s own words why she decided to play football, and what she’s doing now. And, of course, you hear from Keke Palmer, the other Jasmine. It ends with Jasmine being interviewed at the premiere of “The Longshots”. The second featurette is “Making The Longshots” which runs 8 minutes and 6 seconds. Here, you will see members of the cast talking about their experiences with making the movie. You will also see behind-the-scenes footage with the cast and crew at work. You will see interview footage with Palmer and Cube, among others. It is revealed that the town of Minden, the town used in the movie, is actually the real town. You also see the director talking to one of the actors on how best to perform the scene. The cast have very favorable things to say about him. The third featurette is “A Conversation with Ice Cube” that runs 5 minutes and 30 seconds. Here, you will hear Ice Cube talk about the movie being a true story. He also emphasizes that football is NOT the main focus of “The Longshots”. As it turns out, Ice Cube used to play football in his youth, which would explain how he knows what he does about the sport. You also find out why he left sports. He is thankful for being able to do a drama, since he doesn’t have the opportunity to do too many of them. The final featurette is “A Conversation with director Fred Durst” that runs 7 minutes and 27 seconds. It starts out with the director talking about his own background. He also enjoyed working with Ice Cube during the film. In fact, working with Ice Cube was a major factor for him wanting to direct the movie. Durst seems pretty down-to-earth and has nice things to say about the cast. It is revealed that Palmer’s version of Jasmine Plummer was her own creation; she never met the real Jasmine Plummer. It’s too bad that he didn’t have a featured audio commentary track, either by himself or with other members of the cast. The original theatrical trailer for the film is included and runs for 2 minutes 33 seconds. There are bonus trailers for other Genius Product releases (before the Main Menu only) for: - "Hole in the Wall Camps" spot which runs for 1 minute 2 seconds. - "The Great Debaters" which runs for 2 minutes 32 seconds. - "The Nanny Diaries" which runs for 2 minutes 20 seconds.
Packaging
It’s only a DVD packed in an Amaray case with an outer cardboard cover. There are no inserts.
Overall
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